Massachusetts’s first nonbinary elected official has announced they are taking a month-long hiatus from their duties citing transphobia and a “discriminatory and toxic” city council culture.

On Wednesday, January 15, Worcester City Councilor At-Large Thu Nguyen released a statement announcing their decision to take “a month to prioritize my mental and emotional safety.”

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In their statement, shared with LGBTQ Nation, Nguyen, who was elected in 2021, wrote that they have filed a complaint with the city’s Executive Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion regarding the “transphobia and a discriminatory and toxic council culture” they have experienced over the past three years. They claim to have been misgendered by Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty (D) and fellow Councilor At-Large Kathleen Toomey “publicly on the council floor.”

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Nguyen further claims to have recently learned that District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson has allegedly referred to them as “it” repeatedly.

“I have formally requested for the City of Worcester’s Chief Equity Officer to open an immediate investigation and create an action plan to address this matter,” Nguyen wrote. “These hateful acts are unbecoming of a legislative body whose duty is to serve our communities and to honor and enforce anti-discrimination laws.”

Nguyen said the aim of their complaint is to hold elected officials accountable “to moral and legal standards during a vulnerable time of crisis for the LGBTQ+ community.”

“LGBTQ+ folks are facing more physical threats, violence and hate all over the nation,” they wrote, citing a reported 700 percent increase in calls, texts, and chats to LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention organization the Trevor Project in the week following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the November election, and the staggering number of anti-trans bills that have been introduced and in many cases passed across the country in recent years.

“Many turn to Massachusetts, one of the progressive LGBTQ+ supporting states as a safe haven, and yet here in Worcester, the second largest city in Massachusetts and New England, our commitment and safety is tainted by government leadership that does not hold the same values and care for the dignity and humanity of the LGBTQ+ community members,” Nguyen wrote. “I hope by speaking up against transphobia and hate, many of you will join me in pushing for a political reimagination of a government that holistically cares and serves everyone which rightfully includes the LGBTQ+ community.”

According to the Worcester Telegram Gazette, Nguyen’s statement comes after a contentious debate at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting over remote participation. Nguyen reportedly took issue with a recent order filed by Petty asking the Municipal and Legislative Operations Committee to review the limitations of officials’ remote participation to be in reference to their own frequent remote attendance.

“Mr. Chairman, under your leadership I have felt unsafe around this council body,” Nguyen said on Tuesday. “I have faced transphobia with being misgendered and recently learned that I have been dehumanized to a point where I’m being referred to as ‘it’ by my colleagues on this council.”

“I wish to have felt safe on this council floor, but I don’t,” they added.

On Wednesday, Toomey responded to Nguyen’s statement, admitting that she had misgendered Nguyen when they were first elected, describing the incident as an “honest mistake.” Toomey said she had apologized to Nguyen.

“There’s never, ever been any attempt on my side to misgender them,” Toomey said, according to the Telegram Gazette. She added that she has never intentionally misgendered Nguyen, and that she does not remember doing so after the first incident. “If I did, I apologize,” she said.

LGBTQ+ advocacy organization MassEquality issued a statement Wednesday, calling on the city “to take immediate action,” regarding Nguyen’s claims.

“We demand a formal public apology to Councilor Nguyen and urge the city to implement lasting change,” MassEquality’s statement read, according to the Telegram Gazette. “This should include comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training for the City Council and other city officials, along with structural changes to ensure that no one, especially members of marginalized communities like Councilor Nguyen, faces discrimination or bigotry in the future.”

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